In the late modern societies of Europe and elsewhere, the distinction between audience and public is increasingly hard to draw, as the media become ever more deeply embedded in all aspects of society. This article first outlines the widely held view of public and audience as mutually opposed, a view in which audiences are seen to undermine the effectiveness of publics. It then argues that the changing media and communications environment - characterized by both the mediation of publics and the participation of audiences - problematizes such an opposition. The emergence of intriguingly ambiguous objects situated between public and audience is used to illustrate the argument.